


like real people do

by eg1701



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Battle of Hogwarts, Breaking Up & Making Up, Canonical Character Death, It's Fred, M/M, Pining, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-02 14:31:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20277433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eg1701/pseuds/eg1701
Summary: one time oliver thought about kissing percy and four times he actually did





	like real people do

**Author's Note:**

> title is from that hozier song of the same name which slaps so hard  
this is much more serious than the stuff i usually write for them but i thought what the heck

The first time Oliver thought about kissing Percy they were fifteen and Percy was already practically dating Penelope Clearwater. He thought it was unfortunate, not that they were dating really (but that wasn’t helping) but rather he hadn’t realized that his feelings were no longer just friendship until it was too late.  


It was true that Percy could be incredibly annoying. He was constantly studying, took his role as prefect far too seriously, hated any sort of rule breaking, and chided Oliver’s Quidditch habits far more than he probably had any real place to.  


Despite all of that, Oliver found himself falling. Fast.  


He wouldn’t act on it. That was certain. Not only was Percy dating someone, but they hadn’t ever officially discussed their own identities, and as far as Oliver knew, Percy wasn’t interested in boys. Besides, Oliver wasn’t sure he’d be able to ever look Fred and George in the face again if he made a fool of himself in front of their brother who would most certainly turn him down.  


“I thought you thought love was a distraction,” Oliver asked one night. Percy was in bed, flipping through his Potions book, scribbling notes in the margins.  


Percy looked up at him over his glasses and frowned, “Did I say that?”  


Oliver shrugged and sat up, setting the Quaffle he’d been spinning aside, “I mean, you and Penelope. I didn’t see you as a dating person.”  


“Oh,” Percy pushed his glasses up and returned to scanning the book, “It makes sense. She’s a perfect too. Wants to be head girl. She’s nice. Have you met her?”  


Oliver nodded, “Once or twice.”  


“Do you want to say something Oliver, because I think you should just say it.”  


“No, I don’t,” he shook his head, “Night.”  


***  


The first time Oliver Wood kissed Percy they were nearly sixteen going on seventeen, he had just broken up with Penelope Clearwater.  


“I’m sorry to hear that but I’m going to be late. I can be sympathetic later if you like. ” Oliver asked, holding his broom over his shoulder. Listening to Percy be sad about Penelope was not something he thought he could take right now, and Percy would be fine until he got back. He didn’t seem very upset, he wasn’t crying or even tearing up. Perhaps it had been mutual.  


“Oliver,” Percy shut his eyes and took a deep breath, “I’m in love with you.”  


Oliver was going to reply, really he was, only Percy was kissing _him_, really kissing him, and Oliver momentarily forgot human speech.  


When they pulled apart, Oliver nodded, “I have to go to practice.”  


Percy smiled just a bit, “I know. The cup’s on the line.”  


“But we’ll do that again when I get back, don’t go anywhere. I mean you can do whatever you want but don’t go too far.”  


Percy smiled wider, “I won’t. Don’t tell the twins. They’ll never let me live this down.”  


Oliver nodded, turned, smacked his head on the door frame, dropped his broom, and half ran down the stairs, Percy chuckling behind him.  


He half jogged to the Quidditch pitch where he was exactly one minute early, and if his teammates noticed how red his face was, they must have attributed it to him rushing to get here.  


Thankfully Quidditch was something he knew how to do. He knew what to say to the team, knew the moves and didn’t have to think about anything but one Quaffle, two Bludgers, a Snitch and six other players, and nothing else until it was too dark and he was too jittery to continue.  


“We’re going to dinner,” Fred called, “Are you coming?”  


“Can’t,” Oliver replied, tossing his wet clothes into his bag, “Studying. NEWTs you know? See you tomorrow.”  


***  


The last time Oliver Wood thought he would kiss Percy they were twenty, Voldemort was back, and things were bad. They had kissed when Percy got home from work, and an hour had passed before the fight began.  


It wasn’t so much that Percy didn’t believe Harry and Dumbledore, it was that he believed the Ministry more than his family, more than their old Headmaster, more than the boy who lived. Percy was working long nights at the Ministry, Oliver was spending his days practicing with his new team, despite still being a reserve player, and they were tired and irritated and terrified.  


They were not technically living together. Oliver had a place, Percy had a place, but the two seemed to meld together and they switched where they spent the night.  


It was easy to see things falling apart. Oliver had known Percy since he was eleven, and loved him for five of those years, and maybe they just weren’t supposed to be.  


“You have to stop this blind faith you have in the Ministry,” Oliver said. Well, he shouted it really, but they were both shouting, standing on opposite sides of the kitchen, so firmly entrenched in their own sides it was shocking they didn’t sink right through the floor, “You Know Who is back and you know it. You do, because deep down you trust your family and Harry and Dumbledore but you’re scared.”  


“Of course I’m scared,” Percy shot back, throwing his hands in the air, “Why wouldn’t I be scared? If, and I mean if this isn’t some big misunderstanding then this is really the worst thing that could happen. I’ve heard the stories the same as you. But I have worked since I was a child to get even the smallest of jobs in the Ministry and what am I supposed to do? Throw that all away to join a rebel organization? I can’t give this up.”  


“This is what’s right.”  


“I don’t see you signing up for the Order.”  


“This isn’t about me and you know it. It’s about you. He’s back Perce and the Ministry isn’t doing a damn thing. And if you don’t stand up, if you don’t do something, you’re just as bad.”  


Percy drew a shaky breath, “I’m going. I think we’re done here.”  


Oliver nodded, even though he didn’t want to, “I think so too.”  


***  


The first time Oliver Wood kissed Percy since the fight they were nearly twenty two, and Hogwarts was finally at rest.  


Oliver, like most of his friends and old classmates, had gotten to Hogwarts as quickly as possible when news of the battle reached. He had thought he might die. But that would have been alright. Dying for the world. He wouldn’t have minded that.  


When things settled, when Harry did it, he wanted to find Percy. Percy would be here. No matter what Percy had done in the past two years, Percy would be here.  


He hadn’t spoken to Percy face to face since their argument- their breakup. He had written to him once, and received a short note that Percy was still working at the Ministry and that they were watching him and it wasn’t safe to be talking.  


Oliver wasn’t sure what to do with that but he hadn't sent another letter.  


Despite the battle being over, it was chaotic. People were celebrating, but people were also looking for siblings and parents and friends and children, and Oliver was nearly sick at the sights. Colin, little Colin Creevy who he remembered taking pictures during their practices, and Professor Lupin, one of his favorite professors. He didn’t want to go further, but he had to. 

He had to know.  


Someone, somewhere, he wasn’t sure where had said Weasley. He knew he had heard that name and dead in the same sentance, and he didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t be. Even if Percy was alive, none of them could be dead. Little Ginny who wasn’t really little anymore, Ron, the twins, even Bill and Charlie who he barely knew, but who came to life in Percy’s stories. What if it was Mr or Mrs Weasley?  


“Oliver,” a voice called and Oliver nearly burst into tears at the sound.  


“Perce.”  


It was like the past two years hadn’t happened. Oliver pulled Percy against him and they kissed. Percy tasted like ash and Oliver was sure he tasted the same.  


“I thought you were dead,” Oliver said, surprised to find he meant it.  


Percy pulled back, and Oliver saw there were tear streaks in his dirty face, “It’s Fred.”  


Oliver’s heart skipped a beat.  


He brought Percy’s head back to his chest and together they sank to the floor.  


***  


The last time Oliver Wood kissed Percy Weasley wasn’t really the last time at all.  


The last time Oliver Wood kissed Percy Weasley was the first time he kissed his new husband who happened to have a new(ish) last name.  


There had been a discussion on who would take whose last name until Percy said they should just both hyphenate their names but they could continue to use their own names for Quidditch jerseys and the like. The children though, would be Weasley-Woods officially.  


Oliver liked that idea.  


The wedding had been, all things considered, an intimate affair, but the Weasleys were a large enough number by themselves for it to be considered at least a small wedding, if not the intimate one they might have wanted.  


The Burrow, it seemed, would host any wedding it was asked to, and in early summer, when they were twenty three, Oliver and Percy got married. Molly had expressed her concern that maybe it was all too fast until Percy had muttered that they’d been together for a bit and then got back together so really it was longer than she thought. Maybe it was too fast, Oliver thought, but it was supposed to be this way, the two of them and they’d be alright. The battle made him realize that it was too easy to lose people, and he didn’t want to spend anymore time not married to Percy Weasley.  


Percy had been worried that his family might still be angry with him, but it was soon discovered that that was not the case, and after a tearful conversation with his parents, it was all just fine.  


Families were like that after all.  


Sometime during the reception, after Arthur had had a bit too much wine and the cake was almost all gone, Oliver and Percy slipped out of the tent for a moment in the night air.  


Oliver reached out and found Percy’s hand, brushing his thumb across the new wedding band that rested on his ring finger.  


“So, how does it feel to be married into the family?” Percy asked, “There’s no escaping it now.”  


“Are you kidding?” Oliver said, “You have Ginny and Charlie and Ron and Harry and George. That’s nearly a full Quidditch team in itself. I could start my own.”  


Percy elbowed him, laughing, “I love you.”  


“I love you too. Want to go back inside?”  


“So everyone can see that you can’t dance and they’ll admire your Quidditch ability even more?”  


Oliver smiled, “You read my mind.”

**Author's Note:**

> so some notes  
1) according to the harry potter wiki there is little to no homophobia/discrimination in the wizarding world, thus why percy and oliver can get married in 1999 in the uk  
2) this can, technically, fit in with my lucy weasley-wood series but as she's not technically in this, i didn't add it to the series but it's more of a background for them  
3) when did i become literal percy/oliver trash? i wish i had an answer  
4) i'll never be tired of the joke the oliver only married percy for the quidditch talent in his family


End file.
